Company History

We promise to stand by our philosophy of building integrity
and trust into every relationship and project.

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In the beginning there was a family ice and coal hauling business founded by George Curtis, Sr. Soon after, the first Curtis Brothers Furniture store was opened in the heart of Anacostia, in the building now known as the Anacostia Professional Building. The success of that first store led to a chain of furniture stores. Our furniture business grew to be the largest single furniture retailer in the United States and in recognition of our accomplishments, the Curtis Brothers were given “The Big Chair” that sits along Martin Luther King Avenue today.

This success also created a need for retail space and warehouses, which is how we began to become a real estate business. Eventually, the company transitioned away from retailing to focus entirely on its real estate ventures. That transition led to the company that exists today - the Curtis Investment Group. The traits that served us so well then serve us well today: our attention to detail and our focus on our customers.

With properties in Washington, Maryland and Virginia, we have a property to meet your needs.

The Big Chair

Everyone is familiar with the big chair on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue and V Street, S.E. The big chair was built for Curtis Brothers Furniture Company, which was established in 1926. Bassett Furniture Industries ofVirginia constructed it, based on a Duncan Fife design. The chair was built from original plans by Leo A. Jiranek. At the time, it was said to be the largest chair in the world. The original chair, built in Bassett, Virginia, was made from African mahogany and weighed 4,600 pounds, and has been in Anacostia since 1959. In August 1960, Lynn Arnold lived on top of the big chair, inside of aglass house, for forty-seven days to help promote Curtis Brothers Furniture. Today, we install an exact replica of the original chair crafted from 2500 pounds of aluminum and reaching more than 191/2feet high to join the renovated buildings on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue – current home to the DC LotteryBoard and the Anacostia Professional Building.

The Curtis family of businesses have been part ofWashington’s Southeast landscape for more than 80 years. Steadily building a foundation of commercial, residential and retail property invest- ments – even at a time when it was not fashionable. Today, their passion for excellence and longstanding commitment to the community are testimony of hard work, integrity and a belief in the the area of Southeast Washington, D.C.